This mentality that you have to be willing to be sado-masochistic and/or that you sleeping in your car is some sort of badge of authenticity of commitment is part of the reason so many startups fail. To sum it up, you have to either be mentally ill or desperate to the degree that you have no other commitments in life in order to be succesful. And then we wonder why, when they aren't? This whole "hero/cowboy" culture is causing investors to miss out on opportunities that don't fit into their nice little conceived box. Someone with a bit more open mental horizon will eventually find this underserved niche and make a killing, to the chagrin of those looking for a one size fits all approach.

1:08 am March 28, 2013

Skeptical wrote:

Feel rather poorly written article, which repeated a set of cliches and anecdotes. Dear Maynard Web, try to breakout of the mold you have created for yourself. Then you may actually actually score some homeruns.

1:01 pm March 28, 2013

Anonymous wrote:

It depends on the industry. Biotech is hard work, but with some IP, you can start a company and have work-life balance. These tech guys don't get out into the real world enough

6:33 pm March 28, 2013

Disagree wrote:

The article focuses on commitment to work but fails to appreciate that having a commitment to the venture doesnt mean letting go of everything else in life. A venture is simply that, a facet of life to take an idea to innovation and execution. Time management is as important as any other aspect of a founder's traits and to believe that time equates to productivity is an archaic concept. Dedication is important and passion towards your venture is essential but in parallel having time to bind with family and friends, pursuing hobbies is just as essential.

I would like to see the ROI this author's funds have garnered over the past few years.

Add a Comment

Error message

Name

We welcome thoughtful comments from readers. Please comply with our guidelines. Our blogs do not require the use of your real name.

About The Accelerators

For aspiring or actual entrepreneurs, The Accelerators is an online archive of discussion among startup mentors– entrepreneurs, angel investors and venture capitalists. Although the blog is no longer being updated, its content lives here and you can see an archive of its tweets through June 2015 @wsjstartup.